Juventus Join Bid to Fight Online Abuse and Hate Speech

Juventus play Fiorentina on Saturday.

Juventus players celebrate a goal.

Image: Juventus FC

Italian giants Juventus Football Club have linked up with Pixstory, a new integrity-based social media platform to reduce abuse and hate speech in online conversations.

Joining the platform under the @Juventus handle, the club will use various campaigns to fight abuse and hate speech online.

Social-media platform Pixstory's architecture is designed to reduce polarisation, dis-incentivise hate and misinformation. The app aims to be an ethical social media platform by prioritising people over profit. It doesn't collect or sell user data, but retains the user experience with strong checks and balances through design and tech innovations.

Juventus said in a statement on Friday that the platform is based on the values of openness, accountability, and respect. "It aims to be a civic organisation that gives users a sense of community by encouraging civil dialogue and consensus-building," said the statement.

"We are excited to join forces with Juventus," said NBA's LA Lakers star Dwight Howard. "Juventus players are role models for fans around the world and they can make a huge contribution in making the internet a better place."

"It is a source of great satisfaction for us to link ourselves with the Pixstory platform as of today," said Giorgio Ricci, Juventus' chief revenue officer. "Dis-incentivising disinformation, fighting hatred on the internet are fundamental principles for a club like Juventus, which has always worked to maintain and develop great credibility in the world of networking and social media. We are turning more and more towards the younger generations, those "digital natives": for this reason, we are particularly proud to join a platform that spreads the principles of openness, responsibility and respect."

The founder of Pixstory, Appu Esthose Suresh, said, "We have been inspired by the black and white colours of Juventus: though most things are better understood under a spectrum of colours, but to be able to express them freely should be as simple as black and white."